MOFFETT WETLANDS

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@igc.org>]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Mountain View, California

SYMPOSIUM ON THE MOFFETT WETLANDS
SEPTEMBER 27, 1997
MOUNTAIN VIEW CENTER FOR THE PERFORMING ARTS
(500 Castro Street at Mercy)

The Alliance for a New Moffett Field, in conjunction with at least ten
other environmental and public interest organizations, is sponsoring a
day-long symposium on Saturday, September 27, at the Mountain View
Center
for the Performing Arts, corner of Castro and Mercy Streets in downtown
Mountain View. It will be open to the public and free of charge, and
will
run from 9 a.m.to 4 p.m. The symposium will focus on restoration and
preservation of the wetlands and wildlife habitat near Moffett Field in
the
southern San Francisco Bay.

The Alliance is a citizens group working for creative development
strategies that enhance the economy and the environment on and around
the
former Moffett Field Naval Air Station which is now under the
jurisdiction
of NASA-Ames Research Center.

Vanya Sloan, a Mountain View resident and president of the Alliance
said,
"We have initiated this symposium in order to bring to the community a
heightened awareness of the uniqueness of these historic wetlands and to
develop a knowledge base that will be helpful in making decisions about
future land use at Moffett Field."

The wetlands around Moffett Field are habitat for a number of Endangered
Species, including the California Clapper Rail, the Salt Marsh Harvest
Mouse, the American Peregrine Falcon and the California Brown Pelican.
They are also one of the area's last habitats for Burrowing Owls. The
challenge confronting wetlands advocates is how to preserve and enhance
this vital habitat while enabling completion of the Bay Trail and other
development on the former base.

Topics to be addressed in the symposium include: toxic contamination and
cleanup at Moffett and its impact on the wetlands, preserving habitat
for
native species, human access to the wetlands, and wetlands restoration
and
management strategies.

Participants and presenters at the symposium will include
representatives
from various environmental organizations, government agencies, including
the Navy, and wildlife experts.

For further information about the symposium, please contact The Alliance
for a New Moffett Field at 650/968-9076.
Lenny Siegel
Director, SFSU CAREER/PRO (and Pacific Studies Center)
c/o PSC, 222B View St., Mountain View, CA 94041
Voice: 650/961-8918 or 650/969-1545
Fax: 650/968-1126
lsiegel@igc.org